Overview

Overwatch is a multiplayer team-based first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard and for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 24, 2016.

Set in a futuristic Earth, after the fall of an international task force known as Overwatch, the game features 6v6 objective-based gameplay where each player selects from one of over twenty unique "Heroes", each with their own team roles and abilities.

Plot

Many years ago, an extraterrestrial artificial intelligence known as the Omnic invaded Earth, leading to war on a global scale as robots across the globe became somewhat sentient, rose up and started attacking humans. To counter this threat, an international task force was formed under the United Nations, called Overwatch, to combine those with special powers, technology, and other abilities into a fighting force capable of countering the Omnic. Eventually, Overwatch managed to fight off the Omnic robots long enough to end the war and reach a peace accord with the remaining robots.

After the war, Overwatch remained in business as an international peacekeeping force, but as multiple instances of criminal and terrorist activity continued raging across the globe, Overwatch found itself embroiled in scandal. Branded as corrupt and evil as the ones they were fighting, public opinion slowly turned against the organization, culminating in an explosion at Overwatch headquarters that supposedly took the life of its leader and his second-in-command.

Officially, the task force was disbanded and the members of Overwatch drifted away. However, with new attacks by the mysterious Talon group popping up around the globe, the surviving members of Overwatch have quietly reunited to once again protect the world from evil.

Heroes

Offense

Heroes mostly focused on dealing damage towards other heroes, and agile enough that they can strike from almost anywhere and still hit their enemies.

Genji

The younger brother of Hanzo who barely survived a battle with him after their ninja clan's elders manipulated Hanzo into fighting Genji. Overwatch rebuilt him into a cyborg ninja in exchange for his help in destroying his clan, the Shimada. Though he had problems dealing with his new body and drifted away from Overwatch, he eventually found solace in the teachings of the Omnic Monk known as Zenyatta.

Main Weapon: Shuriken. Classic ninja throwing stars which can be thrown in threes, either one at a time or all at once in a small cone in front of him.

Passive Ability: Cyber-Agility. Genji's ninja training and cyborg body allows him to climb some walls like his brother, and also double-jump in mid-air.

Active Abilities: Genji can use Deflect to unleash his sword and briefly deflect most projectiles back at their owner. His other ability, Swift Strike, has him briefly slash forward with his katana. It can be used in mid-air and causes enemies hit by it to slowly bleed out. If they die from this ability, the Swift Strike cooldown is reset.

Ultimate:Dragonblade. Genji unsheathes his mystical katana. For a short period he becomes faster and can only use melee attacks, but the sword deals massive amounts of damage to enemies struck by its blade.

McCree

A weapons smuggler with the Deadlock Gang in the southwestern USA who accepted a deal to stay out of prison and work with Blackwatch, the covert ops division of Overwatch. As all of Overwatch became embroiled in scandal, McCree decided to head out on his own, rather than get involved in Blackwatch's schemes for the struggling organization. Nowadays, McCree will take on any job, as long as it falls in line with his personal moral code.

Main Weapon: Peacekeeper, McCree's trusty old-school six-shooter. He can fire bullets one at a time or fan the hammer to fire all six in rapid succession.

Active Abilities: With Combat Roll, McCree rolls a short distance forward, quickly reloading his revolver as he does so. McCree also carries a Flashbang which can stun enemies hit with it in a short blast radius.

Ultimate: Deadeye. "It's High Noon" as this cowboy takes a moment to aim at all enemies in his line of sight before unleashing one-hit kills with his revolver. Be warned, it takes time for McCree to find the killshot on his enemies, and unleashing Deadeye too soon after activation will not insta-kill anyone.

Pharah

A decorated soldier with the Egyptian army named Fareeha Amari who dreamed of joining Overwatch, but it was disbanded before she got the chance. Currently works with a private security firm and uses their experimental flight suit in battle.

Main Weapon: Rocket Launcher. Pretty straightforward, firing dumb rockets that deal large damage in a modest area of effect.

Passive Ability: By tapping the jump button in mid-air, Pharah can briefly hover and slow her descent as long as she has enough fuel. Her fuel automatically recharges when not in use.

Active Abilities: With Jump Jet, Pharah uses her suit to quickly shoot upward into the sky, flying over barriers that would be insurmountable for most. With her Concussive Blast, Pharah can scatter groups of enemies and heavily damage enemy barriers.

Ultimate: Barrage. Pharah fires a salvo of smaller rockets from her suit and rain down death in a wide area. Pharah will not be able to move or adjust her vision until the salvo is spent. Can also be used in mid-air.

Reaper

Little is known about this dark-clad soldier, though he has been spotted hunting down Overwatch agents across the globe, mysteriously able to phase through solid objects and leaving bodies drained of energy in his wake. Background information suggests his true identity is Gabriel Reyes, a former commander of Blackwatch and comrade of Jack who grew jealous of Jack getting all the glory of Overwatch's accomplishments, though it is unknown who or what turned him into the Reaper.

Main Weapon: Hellfire Shotguns. Reaper uses a pair of customized shotguns in combat that can blow apart enemies at close range.

Passive Ability: Reaper can collect blood orbs from fallen enemies to instantly regenerate a small amount of health.

Active Abilities: Reaper's Wraith Form turns him into a ghost that is immune to attack and can pass through other Heroes, but cannot attack until he becomes solid again. Shadow Step allows Reaper to teleport to another surface within his line of sight, allowing him to easily slip behind enemy lines and pick them off.

Ultimate: Death Blossom: Reaper turns into a whirling shadow of death, firing his shotguns in all directions and dealing damage to any enemies near him.

Soldier: 76

Formerly an American known as Jack Morrison, the Director of Overwatch who barely escaped the explosion that destroyed his organization's headquarters. Convinced that a worldwide conspiracy had set Overwatch up to fail, he now travels the globe under the psuedonym of 76, using stolen tech to keep himself alive and hunting down those he believes responsible for Overwatch's downfall.

Main Weapon: Heavy Pulse Rifle. A standard battle rifle from the Omnic Crisis that can hit targets at almost any range. Along with standard ammunition, the rifle carries rechargeable Helix Rockets that fire in a straight line and deal extra damage in a small radius. However, the rockets take longer to reload than standard ammo.

Active Abilities: 76 can Sprint across the battlefield to reach his destination faster than some characters, but cannot fire while doing so. 76 also carries a Biotic Field with him, which can be placed on the ground to heal himself and allied Heroes in a small area of effect.

Ultimate: When 76 switches on his Tactical Visor, he will always hit the closest target to the center of his field of vision, and will reload his rifle twice as fast as normal while it is active.

Tracer

English test pilot named Lena Oxton who disappeared while testing the new "Slipstream" aircraft. Later reappeared at Overwatch, suffering from "chronal dissasociation" as the Slipstream technology somehow phased her in and out of the present for hours or even days at a time. She was unable to remain solid until Winston designed a high-tech harness for her, allowing Tracer to control her time-shifting at will.

Main Weapon: A pair of Pulse Pistols that can be unloaded and reloaded at incredibly fast speed.

Active Abilities: Tracer can Blink and teleport forward a short distance up to three times in a row, though her Blink charges regenerate very quickly. Tracer can also use Recall to reset her position, health, and ammo to where they were exactly three seconds ago.

Ultimate: A Pulse Bomb that has a low-medium radius, but can stick to whoever or whatever it touches, killing them instantly and their allies nearby when it explodes.

Defense

Heroes who are good either for holding territory, or disrupting entrenched enemies from theirs. These characters require more skill to effectively destroy enemies, but some well-timed shots or abilities will mess up anyone foolish enough to group up in their presence.

Bastion

A robot built for peacekeeping missions, the Bastion units were converted by the Omnic AI into frontline soldiers against the humans and most were destroyed over the course of the Omnic Crisis. One Bastion unit was left to rust away in a forest until it mysteriously reactivated, with its combat programming damaged. Instead of fighting, Bastion now wanders around remote areas, seeking to learn more about the natural world and its inhabitants, though it will not hesitate to use its arsenal against any humans it sees as a threat.

Configuration: Recon: Bastion's default mode, allows it to walk around and fire at enemies with a submachinegun arm that hits enemies at medium range.

Configuration: Sentry: Bastion transforms into a sentry turret, with a gatling gun capable of shredding enemies at any range. Though it can change its aim, Bastion cannot move in this mode, and has a glowing weak point on its back. Bastion can switch back to Recon mode at any time.

Active Ability: Bastion is capable of Self-Repair. As the name suggests, this ability lets Bastion restore its health, though it cannot move or attack while doing so.

Ultimate: Bastion's Configuration: Tank transforms it into a mobile armored vehicle for a brief period, and can launch heavy explosive shells with a wide blast radius at enemies.

Hanzo

The eldest son of the Shimada Clan, Hanzo had trained hard to succeed his father, though he began having doubts as he slowly found out the true nature of his clan's business. His fears became realized when the clan's elders pressured him into almost killing his younger brother, Genji. Disgusted at the act, he abandoned the Shimada and decided to travel around the world, hoping to restore his own honor.

Junkrat

An explosives-obssessed junker who managed to survive in the irradiated hellscape of the Australian Outback. After stumbling upon a secret during one expedition through the destroyed omnium core, he decided to make a deal with an enforcer nicknamed "Roadhog" for a 50-50 share of the spoils. Now the two of them have left Australia to embark on a global crime spree.

Mei

A Chinese climatologist who was forced into cryostasis with the rest of her team after a polar storm cut them off from the rest of the world. Mei awoke years later to find that she was the only survivor, and all of her team's hard work had been destroyed during the events of the Omnic Crisis. With no other options left, Mei decided to continue studying the climate on her own.

Torbjörn

Swedish engineer and former Overwatch member Torbjörn worked hard to make inventions and weapons for the betterment of mankind. Unfortunately, his hatred of sentient AI put him at odds with his funders, who wanted to link up his weaponry with AI. Though his non-Omnic inventions were crucial in helping Overwatch during the Omnic Crisis, many of his weapons went missing or were stolen after the war. Feeling responsible, Torbjörn has decided to hunt down those who use his inventions for evil.

Widowmaker

When Talon tried and failed repeatedly to destroy an Overwatch agent who was sabotaging their operations, they turned their focus to his wife, Amelie. They kidnapped her and brainwashed her into the perfect sleeper agent. Even though Overwatch reclaimed her, Amelie killed her husband two weeks afterward in his sleep. Following the event, Amelie returned to Talon to complete her training into a ruthless, unfeeling assassin now known as the Widowmaker.

Tank

D. Va

D.Va is a former professional gamer. Years ago, a omnic monstrosity rose from the sea and caused massive damage to cities in D. Va's native country of South Korea. The government developed a mechanized armored drone unit, called MEKA, to protect the country. After a series of battles where the monsters seemed to evolve, the monsters found a way to scramble the drone signals, causing a pilot to be required for each mech. D. Va was selected for her skill. Seeing her new mission as a game, D.Va was ready to spring to her nation's defense at a moment's notice. Recently, she has begun to stream combat operations to her adoring fans, and her growing following has turned her into a global icon.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt Wilhelm lives by the knightly codes of valor, justice, and courage. Reinhardt, a highly decorated German soldier, was inducted as part of the original Overwatch strike team that put an end to the original Omnic war. Having served into his late fifties, Reinhardt was faced with mandatory retirement. As times grew darker and Overwatch came under suspicion of corruption and sedition, Reinhardt could only watch as the cause he had dedicated his life to surrendered in disgrace. With Overwatch disbanded, Reinhardt would not allow the world to fall into disorder. He vowed to fight for justice across Europe like a knight of old, defending the innocen, even if he must do so alone.

Roadhog

A man named Mako once led a rebellion which ultimately destroyed the Omnic core, a sign of the peace treaty between Australia and the Omnic power. Upon it's destruction massive waves of irradiation engulfed Australia. Adapting to his environment, Mako donned a mask and took to the broken highways of the Outback on his ramshackle chopper. Mako became Roadhog. Roadhog is a ruthless killer with a well-earned reputation for cruelty and wanton destruction. Roadhog left Australia with Junkrat to embark on a global crime spree.

Winston

A super-intelligent, genetically engineered gorilla, Winston is a genius scientist and a beleives that humanity has great potential. After tests on gorilla modification on the Horizon Lunar Colony, one gorilla displayed such rapid brain development from the gene therapy that he was taken under the wing of Dr. Harold Winston, who taught him science and inspired him with tales of human ingenuity. However, eventually the gorillas led an uprising, killed the mission scientists, claiming the colony for their own. Taking on the name of his beloved human caretaker, Winston built a rocket and escaped to Earth where he joined Overwatch

Zarya

As a child Zarya was born into the Omnic conflict. As she was surrounded by carnage, she swore to grow strong and make her life a struggle for good. Focusing on weightlifting and bodybuilding, she trained extensively, and was expected to shatter longstanding records in the upcoming world championships. On the night before the competition, a dormant Siberian Omnic rose again. Zarya immediately withdrew from the competition and enlisted to fight the robot.

Zenyatta

Game Modes & Maps

Assault

The attacking team must capture two control points consecutively by being the only team to stand on it for a certain amount of time, while the defending team must stop them before the round timer expires. Each match has two rounds, with the teams switched between rounds.

Hanamura

Temple of Anubis

Volskaya Industries

Escort

The attacking team must escort a payload on a fixed track to its destination by being the only team to stand near it, while the defending team must stop them before the round timer expires. Each match has two rounds, with the teams switched between rounds.

Dorado

Route 66

Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Hybrid

A combination of the above game modes, the attacking team must capture the payload (similar to Assault) before escorting it on a fixed track to its destination (similar to Escort), while the defending team must stop them before the round timer expires. Each match has two rounds, with the teams switched between rounds.

Hollywood

King's Row

Numbani

Control

A king-of-the-hill game mode where both teams must capture a single control point at the center of the battlefield and maintain it for a certain amount of time. Each match is best of three rounds, with each round as a random battlefield in the map.

Ilios

Lijiang Tower

Nepal

Development History

Overwatch rises from the ashes of Titan, Blizzard's canceled MMO-project. Overwatch was the name of Titan's PvP component, featuring some of the same basic characters now found in Overwatch, albeit with different names. Overwatch uses the engine initially developed for Titan.